LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) Salary

The median annual salary for a licensed practical nurse is $42,000. This is also $20 per hour. The range for the middle 50% of LPNs falls between $38,000 and $46,000, which is also a range between $19 and $22 per hour. For medical field standards, these salaries are extremely low, but it is still more than enough to keep a small family comfortable year to year. Even LPNs just starting out receive decent pay: about $17 per hour. That adds up to $35,500 per year. However, experienced and educated professionals will see a much higher income, about $50,000 or higher. This is equal to about $24 or higher per hour.

Many factors can determine the differences in salaries for LPNs. Experience and education has already been mentioned, and these play a role in just about every professional job position out there. Geographic location and type of employment also play a role. It is common to see higher salaries for professionals working in metropolitan areas rather than rural ones. This is based on the standard of living seen in cities rather than in the country. Furthermore, type of employment will play a role. For instance, government employed LPNs should expect a higher salary than those working in private offices and hospitals.

The total compensation package for an LPN after benefits is $46,000 on average. Paid benefits from an employer that are added to this compensation package may include social security, pension, vacation time, and health insurance, among others.

Job Description of an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse)

Licensed practical nurses perform many of the normal roles and duties within the nursing field. They help to care for patients, administer tests and examinations, and work with other members of the health care industry to provide the best health care to patients. While registered nurses and nurse practitioners may work independently, LPNs must be supervised by a registered nurse and/or a doctor.

These professionals are described as LPNs in all but two of the fifty states. Both California and Texas call these nurses licensed vocational nurses (LVN). LVNs may work in nursing homes, physician’s offices, community care, private and public hospitals, or home health settings. The same goes for the LPNs of the other 48 states.

The daily duties of an LPN changes from state to state. Some states allow LPNs to perform much the same duties as an RN, even allowing them to start and change IV as well as administer medication through IV. Other states limit the abilities of an LPN. While LPNs work under RNs and NPs, they are directly responsible for the supervision of nursing assistants, attendants, and orderlies.

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The training programs for becoming a licensed practical nurse can be found in community colleges or vocational schools. Generally, one year of full-time study is required to complete the program. In recent years, many of these programs have launched an online classroom, allowing students to complete virtually all of their coursework through the internet.

These training programs offer classroom instruction on nursing practices, anatomy, pharmacology, and more. However, clinical experience is also required to graduate from the program. Most of the time, clinical training will take place in a hospital, but clinics and nursing homes are also suitable training facilities for LPNs. A certificate for practical nursing is obtained after the completion of this program.

The professionals known as licensed practical nurses in the United States may be called by other names throughout first-world countries, and the salaries will differ as well. Australia calls their LPNs enrolled nurses, and they may receive an average annual salary of AU$40,000. LPNs are actually called RPNs (Registered Practical Nurses) in Canada. RPNs will see on average a salary of about C$54,000 every year.

LPNs go by yet another name in the United Kingdom. There, they are known as SENs (State Enrolled Nurses). These professionals should expect to see an average annual salary of about £18,500. This is equivalent to not quite $30,000 in America. However, the U.K. tends to pay lower salaries to their health care professionals, so this is nothing new.

Verdict on LPN Salary (Licensed Practical Nurse Salary)

An LPN will go by many names based on the country or state he or she is working in. However, this fast-track to the medical career can be extremely lucrative for some people. The training program only lasts a year. Further education could be taken later on to become a registered nurse. Even further training after that could take an LPN to the ranks of a nurse practitioner. These professionals can see six figure salaries every year. So, while the going might be tough at the beginning for an LPN, there is a ton of potential to move up. The career ladder of the medical field is a lucrative one, to say the least.